(vo)in december 2008 the us government, which has committed around $5 billion in development aid to bangladesh since the country won its independence in 1971, pledged another $4.3 million to build more shelters and bridges in the coastal area. there is no way of stopping a cyclone. the only hope is that as the detection and warning process becomes more precise, it may be possible to save thousands of lives which would otherwise be lost to one of nature's most savage and terrifying forces.

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: hey, good morning everybody. fellow americans, good to see you this morning. thank you so much for joining us here on the "full court press." we're coming to you live coast-to-coast from our studio here in capitol hill in washington, d.c. with all of the news of the day from our nation's capital around the country and around the globe. seven americans taken hostage by terrorist yesterday in algeria. things getting scary in that part of the world. here at home, poor president obama can't win for losing.

yesterday he was slammed by critics for inviting four kids from around the country to join him on stage as he talked about his proposals for gun control. in other words it's okay to mow down 20 first graders in newtown, connecticut but it's not okay to invite four kids to the white house to talk about how to keep them safe from guns. these people are nuts! all right. more about that and a whole lot more. but first here we go. the latest, today's current news update lisa ferguson standing by out in los angeles. early good morning to you lisa. >> hey bill. good morning everyone. 23 executive actions and a big to do list for congress all in the works now after president obama's announcement yesterday on the future of gun control. not surprisingly, not everyone so keen on what the president had to say yesterday. some republican state legislators have their own plan and that is to secede from any new federal regulations that they think go too far.

according to the constitution, that is clearly illegal. but more than a few states are taking measures into their own hands. in mississippi for one house speaker phillip gunn says he will block any federal measures limiting second amendment rights from being enforced in his state. and mississippi state rep chris brown says he is drafting legislation to say that any firearms manufactured there will not fall subject to federal guidelines. down in texas, attorney general greg abbott spoke out yesterday. he said what happened in connecticut was a horrible tragedy but he also said this. >> is it appropriate to have politicians to overreact and take actions that are both counterproductive and unconstitutional. >> abbott says he is prepared to make sure politicians don't strip away second amendment protections. in kentucky, rand paul also saying he'll challenge obama's executive action there laying out a plan to nullify the orders. more bill press up after the break. stay with us.

i want the people who watch our show, to be able to come away armed with the facts, and the arguments to feel confident in their positions. i want them to have the data and i want them to have the passion. but it's also about telling them, you're put on this planet for something more. i want this show to have an impact beyond just informing. an impact that gets people to take action themselves. as a human being, that's really important. this is not just a spectator sport.

>> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: in the battle for common sense gun control measures, we're off and running friends. good morning. it is thursday. thursday january 17, 2013. man, this year's flying by. already 70 days into it. good to see you today. thank you for joining us today on the "full court press." here on your local progressive talk radio station. good morning, good morning, good

morning on sirius x.m. this hour only. bozos, why they only carry one hour. and here on current tv. great to see you today. and thank you so much for joining us. lots you're going to want to talk about today with president obama challenging the nra and gun nuts by saying c'mon it's time to act. we must act. we'll be judged on whether or not we do. pardon me. and laying forth a whole series of common sense measures. both executive action and congressional action necessary to deal with the problem of gun violence in this country. very powerful ceremony. i was there yesterday. tweeted some photos out from the white house. hope you saw them. if you follow us on twitter you certainly did. if not join us on twitter at bpshow. good place to send your comments today or on facebook at facebook.com/billpressshow. of course, you can still do things the old-fashioned way and

give us a call at 1-866-55-press. that is our toll free number. we've got situation here with the gun control measures in washington d.c. still continuing debate about the debt ceiling and whether or not this is going to be another fiscal armageddon here in our nation's capital. everybody gearing up for the big inauguration ceremonies this weekend. the unofficial-official swearing in the one that really counts at the white house on sunday. a very brief like five-minute ceremony because that's the day the president's term runs out then the big public ceremony in front of at least a million people on the west steps of the capitol on monday. over in algeria very troubling situation where terrorists surrounded natural gas plant yesterday and took several hostages including seven americans, secretary of defense

leon panetta calling it an act of terror. we've got a lot to cover. let's get right to it with team press. peter ogborn and dan henning to start off the team. >> hey hey. >> bill: cyprian bowlding has the cameras going. phil backert is standing by to take your phone calls. you know, i'm really tired this morning because i had to stay up late last night. i couldn't go to bed without catching "american idol," you know, my favorite show. >> what's "american idol"? >> bill: can you believe it? still on. season number 12. >> pretty impressive. >> so we've had 11 "american idols" now. i know i couldn't name all of them. >> bill: are you kidding? >> i could maybe name half. >> i could name half. i just haven't watched in recent years. i know last year was phillip phillips. that's an easy name to remember. >> pretty good song called

"home". kelly clarkson. >> bill: the first one. you've got lee dewise, you've got david cook, carrie underwood is huge then other big names like chris daughtry didn't win. he was third place and he's doing better than half of the winners. >> bill: he was good. who was the kid that everybody was so excited about? i got his autograph. >> remember william. >> bill: well last night although this sounds like a terrific season because they start out last night they had some phenomenal -- >> if you like great singing. ♪ and every time i close my eyes ♪ ♪ i thank the lord that i've got nikki ♪

♪ [ laughter ] >> he was a little pitchy. >> bill: cyprian wasn't there last night? >> sounded a lot like him. >> i actually watched the first hour last night. >> the first hour? there's more than an hour? >> two hour premiere. >> shoot me in the foot. no way. >> i watched the first hour. normally, i have a rule that every new show that comes on television, i watch three episodes to see. i don't think i'll make it past that. >> bill: it is not a new show. >> but how the interaction with the judges. you have nicki minaj who is such a niche artist with a lot of people would say not amazing talent. and then -- she's very talented.

i don't know that she has staying power. >> that's a good way to say it. it is her versus mariah carey on the judge's panel. they started bickering right away just like everyone said they would. but then it got old really quick. it was painful to watch. okay. >> bill: i will make it my mission never to watch any of it again. >> it is so over. >> bill: it's like the nra. it's over. we'll get into that. we've got a lot of help this morning from reporters from "the washington post." reporters from politico. and actually, i think the leader who was there yesterday at the president's announcement and organizing -- helping organize faith leaders around the country to support the president's measures some common sense gun control measures. do you think the president went far enough? 1-866-55-press. but first... >> announcer: this is the "full

court press." >> some other headlines make news as you head out the door on this thursday. lance armstrong trying to make amends for doping. cbs reports the cyclist offered to give $5 million to the federal government for allegedly defrauding the u.s. postal service because of doping. but the department of justice has rejected his offer calling it inadequate as the post office sponsored his team for $30 million and he's offering $5 million. he also offered to be a cooperating witness in a federal investigation but doj apparently not interested in that offer either. >> bill: you know, he's struggling man to try to -- for everybody to embrace him. forget about it. he'll get a job flipping burgers somewhere. >> a big part of this that hasn't been talked about not only did he lie and he was deceitful, he was a giant jerk throughout the whole process. he was just a total you know

what and so now he's coming back all humble, treating people like garbage. now that he's trying to be humble, screw you pal you had your chance. >> bill: total terd. >> his interview with oprah is tonight. miss alabama has a new job. no word if brent musburger will be watching her. the woman who stole the light thanks to the espn host, will be at the super bowl. she's working for the tabloid television show "extra" as a correspondent. no comment from muss burger yet -- musburger yet. he's being widely credited with bringing her into the spotlight. >> bill: her 15 minutes of fame. >> still going. seems that reconciliation between arnold schwarzenegger and maria shriver may be happening and may be going well. extra caught up with the ex-governor of california this week and asked him about it.

he said we're having a great relationship and that's all i can tell you. you'll remember that shriver filed for divorce in 2011 after schwarzenegger fathered a child with the family's housekeeper. >> bill: if she gets back together with him man -- i tell ya -- >> this story comes about once a month. you hear about the reconciliation. they're getting back together, they're not. >> bill: maria don't do it! he's a cad. don't trust him. why would you go there again right? >> fool me once. >> bill: dumbest things to do. i gotta tell you yesterday folks, i've been, as you know, as part of a member of the white house press corps and before that as a democratic strategist and chair of the democratic party in california. i have been to the white house many times. i've been to many events at the white house. i've never been to a more powerful event or more moving event than i was yesterday when the president and the vice president in the south court

auditorium yesterday late yesterday morning announced their proposals for how to deal with gun violence in this country. i mean it was really, really powerful. in the audience, right in the front row, in front of the president were parents of the -- of some of the victims of newtown elementary school. also in back of them, little farther back was young man by the name of collin goddard who was in one of the classrooms at virginia tech. he calls himself one of the lucky seven students in the classroom actually survived. there were leaders of congress there. there were members of the cabinet there. on stage with the president were four kids from around the country and their parents. kids of many, many, many kids who had written to the president in the wake of newtown connecticut, asking him to do something to keep them safe from guns in their schools. it was a very moving ceremony.

and the president spoke as well as i've ever heard him speak. it was really very, very convincing and very powerful. keep coming back to that word. we reporters were in the back of the room. when it was over, we looked at each other and everybody said "wow, that was really tough." the president saying this was our -- looking at those kids, this was our -- and talking about newtown connecticut in particular, this is our first priority. >> obama: this is our first task as a society. keeping our children safe. this is how we will be judged. >> bill: this is how we will be judged. and the president said that congress -- he signed 23 executive orders. tell you more about those in just a second. right away.

on the spot. and then he called on congress and said okay, you gotta do your thing, dudes. >> obama: to make a real and lasting difference, congress, too, must act. and congress must act soon. >> bill: the president said the first thing that congress has to do, background checks, make sure every single gun purchase has a criminal background check. >> obama: it's time for congress to require a universal background check for anyone trying to buy a gun. [ applause ] >> bill: then the president introduced those kids on stage one by one and read excerpts from their letters which were so innocent so moving just because of the eloquence of, you know, their thoughts at such a young age. started out with third grader wearing a red dress right up front. >> obama: hinnah wrote i feel terrible for the parents who lost their children. i love my country. and i want everybody to be happy

and safe. >> bill: sums it up, doesn't it? how could you reject that plea on her part. as i said, then the president signed 23 executive orders. and he called on congress to act. calling congress to act on an assault weapons ban, on a ban on magazines with over ten clips. to do more about putting more cops on the street. and to require those universal background checks. so all in all i thought a very comprehensive package, a very common sense measures. right away, there were people coming out saying oh, no, no, no no, the president can't do this. he's going too far too far too fast. these are dictatorial measures. these are confis tori measures. i would like to know what you think. i'll tell you what i think. i don't think the measures go far enough.

that's not a slam on president obama. just given the political reality he's gone as far as he can go. the question is why stop there? why don't we -- you can't tell me that it does not make sense. it does make sense. if you have to have a license and register your car if you can't have a car without registering the car and you can't drive the car without having a license to drive and prove you know what you're doing, you can't tell me that doesn't make sense for every single gun in america. every single gun in america should be registered and every gun owner should have a license to operate that particular gun so we know where they are and who's got them. absolutely. why are we even debating the other measures? assault weapons ban? who needs them, right? magazine clips over ten who needs them. who needs up to ten? background check of course we ought to have them. we shouldn't be debating these

issues. let's get serious about this and license all guns in america then we're really doing something. my question today is not can we get these measures passed but why do we stop there? why don't we really do something serious about gun control in this country. not did the president go too far but did the president go far enough. 1-866-55-press. let's get right it here on the "full court press." the battle begins here on the "full court press" this thursday morning. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." live on your radio and current tv. [ male announcer ] along with support chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation presents special coverage of the presidential inauguration. the circumstance & the inside analysis. the presidential inauguration this monday morning at 10 eastern only on current

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alright, in 15 minutes we're going to do the young turks. i think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they know that i'm not bs'ing them with some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. so speaking here op the "full court press" on this thursday, january 17th, speaking of not going far enough, been a lot of talk about australia right? the former prime minister of australia, conservative prime minister of australia john howard, has a very interesting op-ed in this morning's "new york times" where he talks about what he did back in 1996. they had this mass murder where a guy killed 35 people with an assault weapon. the conservative prime minister of australia led the fight and what australia did is they banned all of the assault weapons back in 1996. they put in a government buyback program. they bought back 700,000 assault rifles. 700,000 which, given the population of australia would be

the equivalent of 40 million guns in the united states. >> not just guns. assault weapons. >> bill: they bought them back. in the 18 years before that massacre, australia had suffered 13 mass killings by guns. there's not been a single one since 1996. if australia can do it, why can't we? why do we have to settle for half-ass measures. peter, what's going on? >> we're tweeting at bpshow. fred says congress turds must be publicly shamed if they oppose common sense massacre-control measures proposed by obama. jean takes a different course. he says these laws and ideas are reactionary and they're deeply flawed. as all reactionary laws are. >> bill: i don't know what that means. >> another tweeter says president obama -- >> bill: in a sense every law

is a reaction to something. that's the way the world works. >> president obama has gone as far as he can by himself. now it is up to congress and us to carry it the rest of the way. >> bill: i think politically he's gone as far as he can. the question is why politically in this country do we have to settle for such half-ass measures. 1-866-55-press i'm sorry we're short here now with the half hour. we'll get to your calls when we come back. explain to me what's wrong with requiring that every gun -- you register every single gun and you have to have a license to operate that gun and prove you know what you're doing. i mean if we -- seriously if we require that for every clunker of an automobile and every single person driving every single automobile, there's no reason not to do it for every single gun. handguns rifles, everything. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

to me now? you know the kind of guys that do reverse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking?

>> announcer: chatting with you live at current.com/billpress. this is bill press live on your radio and on current tv. >> bill: 33 minutes after the hour here on a thursday morning january 17. great to see you today. kicking off the day by bringing you up to date on the news of the day here on the "full court press" and taking your calls talking about president obama's announcement on a comprehensive package, comprehensive common sense package of measures to deal with gun violence in this country. look forward to taking your calls at 1-866-55-press. i guess we have to mention the

other bombshell of the day. the other breaking news of the day is that fox news has a new contributor. they finally have a strong, liberal voice on fox news. the latest fox contributor would you believe dennis kucinich. what is he thinking? oh, my god. does he really think he's going to convert roger ailes and rupert murdoch and sean happennity? they're all going to bow down and say yes dennis, you're right, you're right all along. dennis is right on most of -- i would say 98% of his public policy positions. i love the guy. but come on, fox news. they're just going to make fun of him. >> he just became the most liberal member on the fox news payroll. a lot of the liberals that fox news used frankly are middle of

the road type of people. so they're going to try to make him out to look like a cartoon character. >> bill: you know they are. i know the guy needs some money. i don't begrudge him for doing it but come on, dennis, joining the enemy camp, going over to the dark side. they're just going to take advantage of him. watch. i don't think it will last long. at any rate. 35 minutes after the hour now. back to your calls in just a minute. first looking for some extra income at the end of each month. in these economic times, a lot of families are. here's something you should consider. incomeathome.com. because they are america's leading work from home business. and they're offering you an opportunity that you can easily take advantage of. no matter your age education or experience, you can literally earn money from your own laptop, on your own kitchen table at home 24/7, even while you sleep. all you need is a little spare

time. if you're sick of living paycheck to paycheck, worried about job security, retirement, if your goal is to earn money from home part-time or full time, check out incomeathome.com. they're even giving away $1,000 to somebody just for checking them out. that lucky somebody could be you. visit incomeathome.com. yes, a lot of criticism from the nra and republicans in congress yesterday saying the president's going much, much, much too far with all of the gun control stuff. what surprises me looking at the package is that he didn't go any farther than he did. frankly, i don't see how anybody could dispute that the things that he suggested are just things we should have been doing a long time ago. common sense measures would really, really make a big step getting on top of gun violence in this country if we were to license -- require that every gun be licensed and registered.

here's roy calling from asheville, north carolina. hi roy how you doing? >> caller: all right bill. we are so lucky to have barack obama and joe biden now. i think this was masterful. they hit all of the problem areas. i think it's a great start. you know, i'm disappointed in the news coverage. obama talked about the assault rifles and i wasn't sure if he was saying he thought they just should be outlawed outright. i got that from him. and what they would do about ones that were already out there. do you know anything about that? >> bill: well, there would be a ban on the sale of assault weapons going forward but there is no word about what to do about the -- i think i've seen maybe 20 million 40 million that are already out there in

circulation or in the hands of gun owners. >> caller: oh, man. >> bill: that's a real, real problem. >> caller: that's -- >> bill: that's why i think we need a buyback provision like they did in australia. >> caller: buyback and if someone did want to have them, they could at least -- i think they should have to have insurance, too. handguns and everything. it costs $300 billion a year in medical costs for gun shot wounds in this country. >> bill: i think the insurance thing is a great idea. absolutely. >> caller: i'm not just pulling that out of my hat. i get that from greg, armed madhouse and joan burbick. are you familiar with her? >> bill: yes. >> caller: i talked with greg on the phone once on a talk show and armed madhouse, he put it at

$200 billion in the year 2002 i believe. he believes it is very hard figure to find out. red cross amnesty international a couple of other people put it at $300 billion a year now. >> bill: right. all of which costs of course, we are paying. i think you know, in addition to that, roy, i would add some liability on part of the -- this has been talked about before, some liability on the part of the gun manufacturers for some of these crimes that are committed with the guns that they are selling and that end up in the streets of america. roy, good to hear from you. i agree. obama and biden certainly rose to the occasion. i just regret it that the political landscape is such that they couldn't go farther than they did. johnny out in chicago. good morning. >> caller: good morning. >> bill: yes sir. what's up? >> caller: the problem that i've

got is why did he have to use executive authority okay? that's what i don't get. i'm sorry my opinion he has abused the executive authority. he's been in office too many times and this time, once again he's abused it. i'm not going to say i'm against the measures. i've only heard about a few of the measures. >> bill: i want to answer your question. the reason he used executive authority is because he can and he should and there's a lot of stuff that does not require an act of congress. he is the ceo of the federal government. he can tell the cdc, for example, give them more money and say you need to do more research into the impacts -- pardon me, the effects of gun violence. that doesn't require an act of congress. so why shouldn't he do it? >> caller: okay. just because he can doesn't necessarily mean he should.

there's a lot of things i can do but it doesn't mean i should. i can get outside right now in nothing but a pair of gym shorts and sandals -- >> bill: johnny, we're talking about a very serious problem here. we're talking about gun violence in this country. we're talking about 20 kids mowed down in newtown connecticut. if there are things the president can do using his authority without requiring an act of congress, i think it would be irresponsible in his part not to do everything he can within his power to try to resolve -- to solve this problem in this country. again, you slam him for taking any executive action. the president -- you know what? i'm reading the life of -- another book about thomas jefferson. you want to talk about a president who used all kinds of executive authority. look at teddy roosevelt or franklin roosevelt. that's what presidents do. you know what that's called? it's called leadership.

we want people who will lead in times of crisis. not who are afraid of their own shadows. phillip down in gainesville florida. >> caller: hi, i wanted to say i completely totally agree about what you were saying about gun control hasn't gone far enough and that you know, i think we should go in the direction of britain and australia. >> bill: i agree. >> caller: i also think the time is a little too late, you know. when obama first ran for president on hope and change, i was ecstatic to get obama in there and i was just like all of these changes are going to happen. and i was so completely disappointed when we had a democratic president and a democratic majority in the house and nancy pelosi as speaker of the house and the time to have done something on gun control would have been then. but the first words that really made me think that something's wrong here is when nancy pelosi

got up and speaking about george bush in their administration, that impeachment is off the table. it just blew my mind. >> bill: well, mine, too. mine too. we've talked about that, phillip. look, there's a lot of stuff that didn't get done then. those two years were the time to really push the agenda, right? and they didn't. but you know, that's water over the dam, if you will. now there's a new four years. there is a new opportunity and some new urgency and so you know, i think we have to focus on what we can get done now. >> caller: the thing that makes me angry is yes it is horrendous that those 20 children were killed in connecticut. but what about the thousands of innocent iraqi and afghan children who have been killed, you know, from war crimes in a legal war from the invasion of iraq. >> bill: yes yes. that makes me angry, too. that's why president obama has

ended the war in iraq and he's on his way to ending the war in afghanistan. phillip, it is a great big world. there are a lot of different issues. you can't contemplate them all. there is an opportunity now better maybe in our lifetime to do something serious about gun control. my regret is we're just not doing enough. >> we're tweeting at bpshow on twitter. a quick comment on that point. mr. elburt says just imagine if mitt romney were to be president in the wake of this tragedy. >> bill: he would have done nothing. you know what? he would have done absolutely nothing and said it is up to states to decide if they want to do anything or not. meanwhile, i'm going horseback riding with ann. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show." the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo) only on current tv. iq will go way up. (vo) current tv gets the

converstion started weekdays at 9am eastern. >> i'm a slutty bob hope. >> you are. >> the troops love me. (vo) tv and radio talk show host stephanie miller rounds out current's morning news block. >> you're welcome current tv audience for the visual candy. just be grateful current tv does not come in smellivision. the sweatshirt is nice and all but i could use a golden lasso. (vo) only on current tv.

this monday morning current tv presents special coverage of the presidential inauguration. the circumstance & the inside analysis. the presidential inauguration this monday morning at 10 eastern only on current tv.

>> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv this is the "bill press show." >> bill: here we go. 12 minutes before the top of the hour. rich masters democratic strategist, will be here as a "friend of bill" in the next hour. we're going to be joined by the national coordinator of faith united to prevent gun violence. faith leaders from around the country get into a whole different aspect of this. right now, talking about the president's announcement yesterday with vice president joe biden of the recommendations of the biden task force on gun violence. joining us and joining me in covering that event yesterday jonathan allen is the senior washington correspondent for politico. hey, john, good morning. good to talk to you. >> good morning.

thanks for having me on. >> bill: yep. so the very powerful event yesterday at the -- at the white house, i guess the question is what happens now? and do the president's measures have any chance of getting through this republican-led house of representatives? what's your take? >> i think all gun control legislation for the last 20 years almost since 1994 anyway has faced an uphill climb. i don't think any of these proposals are different than that. i think there's a real hope in the pro gun control community that the newtown massacre will be different than the more recent aurora theatre shooting or the shooting in tucson that

injured gabby giffords. there's not a lot of evidence of movement on capitol hill particularly among republicans who control the house. yesterday, there were a lot of sort of angry blowback statements from republicans on the hill. so look, i think we're going to have to give it a little bit of time to see if there are some places where there will be cooperation between the parties. if i were a betting person, i would generally bet against gun control legislation in congress. >> bill: maybe that's one of the reasons why i think it is, the reason why the president stressed yesterday, made that point. he could not expect congress to act unless the american people really make such -- such an uproar that congress has to respond. that's happened before and the president calling on the american people yesterday to basically give congress a swift kick in the butt.

>> yeah, again i don't dismiss the possibility that something could happen. i think that there are certain issues that have more resonance with the american public than others. >> bill: background check. >> the background checks. even if it's not exactly what the president is proposing here in terms of universal background check, perhaps there's some -- middle ground there that makes it -- i'm quoting his statistic i don't know this independently but he said 40% of guns are bought sort of through that gun show loophole. maybe there's a way to narrow that percentage. >> bill: the most important measures of the president's overall proposal yesterday the universal background check the ban on assault weapons the ban on magazines for more than -- for more than ten rounds, the ban on armor piercing cop killer

bullets require congressional action. what are the measures that the president has said that he will do by executive action? they include what kind of things john? >> well, you know, you're absolutely right. he said his executive actions are no substitute for legislative action. of course, the term executive action is sort of a new one in the vernacular. he made it sound like he was signing executive orders to do something. really, executive action appears to be the president asking various communities to take actions for schools. encouraging schools to have more resource officers is one of them. on the mental health side, encouraging people in the mental health field to do more to try to identify people who might have these kinds of problems. if you're talking about law enforcement, there are certain

things that go with law enforcement where this is now a priority. i would be surprised if we didn't see more crackdown on gun crimes from the u.s. attorneys across the country. but this is mostly asking people to do things. >> bill: the one thing that one of our callers yesterday raised here and i think was one of the most important things, didn't get a lot of attention. there was some concern that under the health policy provisions of obama care, right that medical professionals could not report to law enforcement officers when they -- they heard repeated, you know, violent threats from mentally ill patients that they were dealing with. and the president said yesterday they're going to make it clear those policies will enable and encourage doctors, right, to report to law enforcement if they do hear some violent language from the mental health people which maybe closes that loop. they're all actions that the president -- as you say, without

signing an executive order was able to take directing different federal agencies to take certain steps in this overall attempt to reduce gun violence in this country. well the announcement made yesterday now goes up to the hill. we'll see what happens there. jonathan, thanks forkeeping track of it for us. and joining us this morning. >> my pleasure, bill. take care. >> bill: jonathan allen senior washington correspondent for politico. you know, i just hate to see all of these people write off and say congress will never do anything. we know congress will never do anything. they have to try to make it a horse race. it is up to you and me to force congress to act. because they won't do it on their own. but we can do it. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

this monday morning current tv presents special coverage of the presidential inauguration. the circumstance & the inside analysis. the presidential inauguration this monday morning at 10 eastern only on current tv. >> announcer: this is the "full court press." the "bill press show." live on your radio and on current tv. >> bill: hey how about it. in the next hour, felicia from

"the washington post" will be joining us. and we'll continue our conversation about the president's big announcement yesterday. some people criticizing him for going too far. i think the problem is that political reality in this country, prevents the president from even going even further. i don't think he went far enough. the president today had a busy schedule yesterday. he's sort of kicking back today. he and the vice president will receive their daily briefing at 10:00 a.m. and beyond that, nothing official on the president's schedule today. although you never know. you never know what's going to pop up. jay carney has a press briefing today at 11:45. and i will be there representing all of you. so when we come back, continue our conversations. now the time we'll probably see some action on guns.

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> bill: good morning everybody. welcome to the "full court press." this thursday morning january 17. good to see you today. thank you so much for joining us. lots to talk about. americans taken hostage in algeria. flu epidemic sweeping the nation and the big debate over gun control starts here in our nation's capital. the president's announcement yesterday. can you believe it in some people attacked him for inviting four children to join him on stage yesterday at the white house. okay yeah, get this. so it's okay to mow down 20

innocent first graders in newtown, connecticut but it's not okay to invite four children to the white house to tell them what we might be doing to keep them safe in their schools from guns. these president's critics are insane! all right. more on that and a whole lot more. but first the latest. today's current news update, lisa ferguson's got it out in los angeles. good morning. >> hey bill. good morning everyone. president obama is promising to give gun control everything he's got right now. making sure new laws are enacted and america is a safer place during his second term. and while the issue is take center stage within the administration, it is also fueling some hopeful candidates for 2016. much like gay marriage was the hot topic during last year's election politicians are predicting gun control will be the big divisive issue in four years. despite the uproar over last month's massacre in newtown connecticut, many are throwing

any chance of new firearm restrictions out the window, saying obama's proposals will not even make it to a vote on the house floor. that will leave it largely up to the states. we've already seen new york pass the nation's tightest gun control legislation. next up could be maryland where governor martin o'malley will introduce his own proposals this week. both states are home to potential 2016 candidates and we could see this trend keep up for any democrat who wants to be taken seriously during the next presidential election. and think progress is looking into some ceos who want people to retire later. they're thinking of raising the retirement age up to 70 saying social security is no longer affordable. as think progress notes that's not the case. the program can pay full benefits for decades into the future and with a couple of very small changes, it could extend the solvency for the next 75

years. we'll be right back. show, to be able to come away armed with the facts, and the arguments to feel confident in their positions. i want them to have the data and i want them to have the passion. but it's also about telling them, you're put on this planet for something more. i want this show to have an impact beyond just informing. an impact that gets people to take action themselves. as a human being, that's really important. this is not just a spectator sport. hershey's simple pleasures chocolate. 30% less fat, 100% delicious. [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok.

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>> announcer: broadcasting across the nation on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: president obama his gun proposals are out. now the battle begins. will congress step up to the plate? what do you say? hello, everybody. great to see you today. it is thursday. big thursday, january 17. four days from the inauguration for the second term of president barack obama. washington starting to fill up with people and excitement surrounding the inaugural ceremonies this weekend. and we've got a lot going on

today to talk about -- lot to talk about around the globe. seven americans taken hostage yesterday in algeria. flu epidemic still sweeping the nation and here in our nation's capital, the debate over the debt ceiling sort of now taking a backseat right now to a lot of comments about -- and reaction to the president's -- with the vice president their proposals on sensible gun control measures announced yesterday at the white house. we'll talk about all of the above and take your calls at 1-866-55-press. you are invited to join us on twitter. we'll take a look at your twitter comments at bpshow or on facebook at facebook.com/billpressshow. helping us through the minefield of issues we're dealing with today. felicia is a political reporter for "the washington post." covering mainly the white house these days. felicia, nice to see you. >> nice to see you.

>> bill: thanks for coming in. >> thanks for having me. >> bill: team press with peter ogborn, dan henning phil back wetter the phones, cyprian bowlding keeping us on camera. it's what he has to work with. that's why we brought felicia in. raise the bar a little bit. we know some people, algeria may be the biggest story. for other people, the guns may be the biggest story. for others the debt ceiling may be the biggest story. for most americans we know, the big story of the day interestingly, watching the monitors, a story that's gotten the most attention on the other cable networks this morning is man tei. >> bill: who is this dude? >> we talked about this guy. played for notre dame. defensive player was one of the

finalists for the heisman trophy. would have been the first defensive, pure defensive player to win the heisman trophy ever. he's a big deal. one of the most prolific -- >> bill: hawaiian. >> out there. yeah. and so this story that had been part of the legend of mantei was that he had this girlfriend and she was battling cancer and that she died of cancer. upon learning news of her death a couple days later he went out and played against michigan state, had a monster game. led notre dame to victory. many profiles have been done about this guy. and all of them -- almost all of them include references to this girlfriend because she had been in a car accident and she was in a coma and he would call her and stay on the phone with her for -- >> bill: in a coma? >> for eight hours. >> bill: she's talking in a coma? >> he would stay on the phone with her while she slept.

he would say the stories -- her parents would say her breathing would increase. big thing, right? turns out it is not true. she doesn't exist. there is no girlfriend. dead spin broke the story last night. >> bill: here he is. this is last october talking about this mythical girlfriend, i guess. >> the most beautiful girl i've ever met. not just for her physical beauty but the beauty of her character and who she is. >> bill: did he ever see her? >> well, he said that he did. his father said she came to visit. last night notre dame had to come out and say that he was the victim of a hoax. that a girl online -- or someone online had contacted him and created this profile of this woman and that -- >> bill: and that he fell for it. >> that had been his girlfriend.

so he's either lying or he's an idiot or he's a lying idiot. but there are so many -- assuming -- let's say this is a hoax. >> bill: why are they calling it a catfish? >> there was a movie a couple of years ago which has been turned into a series on mtv called catfish. it had to do with a guy who started an online relationship with a girl and he went to go meet her. turns out this young attractive girl that he was dating online when he met her in person was this middle-aged housewife and so the whole thing is like you can become anybody you want online. they're saying he was catfished. that somebody had created this profile of this beautiful woman and he fell for the whole thing. if that's true, he still has a lot of questions to answer. so did he really talk to this girl? when she was sick? did he meet her? there's so much weirdness. so much weirdness. >> bill: what is the moral of the story here, felicia?

>> i think there's definitely a moral for the media in this when it comes to the number of times people didn't thoroughly check out the story. if you look at deadspin, they write this great time line of the times he said he met her and then the times that they spoke on the phone. a lot of those media counts didn't jie. that should have been a red flag. for me personally, this was not something that had been on the radar until yesterday. it is all that anyone can focus on right now. >> it is such a bizarre story. it shows number one you said media accountability. media should have done more research but it shows the weirdness of the internet, man. >> bill: it seems to me there is a red flag here about online relationships. i mean how many stories have we heard about people who meet

people online that lead to disaster and sometimes physical violence or worse and now this. this colossal embarrassment. how would you fall for this? at any rate, that's enough about it. more important things to talk about. 1-866-55-press. the toll free number. felicia, i must admit, i was there yesterday at the white house for the unveiling of the work of the joe biden task force. i don't think the president was anymore -- ever anymore powerful or more convincing or seemed more determined on any issue. what was your read? >> i thought what was interesting was that there was sort of two aspects to it. he was very logical in his argument in favor of the executive actions he's taken. he made constitutional arguments saying okay, he's got the second amendment rights that are at issue here. here is a whole slew of other right including the right to

worship, the right to assemble. have public gatherings. he said were also at odds here due to this issue. so on the one hand, he did a logical and step by step approach. on the other hand, it was a very emotional news conference. one of the most emotional times i've seen him and the vice president having these four children who had written to him of their own accord on the issue of gun violence and asking him to do more on that personally. i think when you look at the images that come out of this event, those children on stage are something that definitely is at the heart of the issue. >> bill: the president started off -- so did the vice president, recognizing parents of some of the victims from newtown, connecticut, who were there, right in front of the president. he had met with some of them before, when he went up to newtown. he said -- i thought he put the whole thing in context. he said this also at newtown. this is what it's all about. if we can't do this, basically,

we can't do anything else. >> obama: first task as a society, keeping our children safe. this is how we will be judged. >> bill: really sums it up, doesn't it? what it was all about. >> i think more than a lot of other times in the past, he's been criticized as a president for being a little bit cold and just a little too stark when it comes to these kind of events. yesterday, he took the opposite approach and even mentioned one of the young victims 7-year-old girl grace mcdonnell that he was given a painting by her father when he visited newtown and he's displaying that in his private study. that was one very unusual way unusual for this president to personalize this issue and i think that that's part of the reason why you're seeing a lot of debate now over his and the white house's use of children in trying to make their case. >> bill: on that point i thought it was very effective to

have the four children there. i don't think he exploited them in any way. they wrote to him. they were there for them. selected as sort of representative of all of the letters from children he received. they were there with their parents. he read excerpts from the letters. here's how he started with this little girl. the one with the red dress. sked her to wave to the crowd so everybody knew which one he was talking about. >> obama: she wrote i feel terrible for the parents who lost their children. i love my country. and i want everybody to be happy and safe. >> bill: kind of sums it all up for me. there have been those including dana mill bank in your paper who criticized the president saying he's exploiting children for this issue. if it's all about keeping our

children safe, what's wrong with this? >> if you look at past presidents and past candidates for office, children have been used as long as campaigns have been around. you had nancy pelosi when she was sworn in was surrounded on the chamber floor by many of her grandchildren. george w. bush, when he was signing no child left behind did that in front of a school of children in ohio. you've even got ben quayle, the former congressman from arizona got into some trouble when he sent out a campaign flier with two children on it that looked like they were his daughters but it turned out he doesn't have any kids and they were his brother's children. >> bill: lindsey graham used his sister's kids as props. that's different. >> children, there's no precedent there saying children are completely off-limits in politics. i think the question here is a lot of times they've been brought forward to these kind of presidential conferences after a policy agenda item has been achieved. this time the white house is moving forward with them in order to try to persuade

americans to change their minds on this issue. i think that's where there was a little bit of disagreement here on the conservative side. >> bill: but they'll bitch about anything that obama does. as far as i'm concerned this whole national attention this focus and this demand for action really was triggered -- prompted by what happened at sandy hook elementary school where 20 innocent first graders were mowed down. in ten minutes some of them shot as many as 11 times. if we're talking about saving kids' lives and you've got four kids who wrote to the president and said please do something in the wake of this, i think it was totally appropriate for the president. >> absolutely. >> bill: bring them on stage yesterday. >> that's what i think separates them from a lot of other kinds of -- >> bill: speaking of exploiting children, then you have the nra -- so the head of the nra, talking about the ad of course, talked about it yesterday here on the show. i want to play it one more time

because david keen, the president of the nra is out today defending the ad again and saying oh, no, we weren't talking about the president's daughters when we made that ad. let's listen to it. see if you can believe this buffoon. >> are the president's kids more important than yours? then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools? when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school. mr. obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes but he's just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. protection for their kids and gun-free zones for ours. >> bill: now unless i didn't hear it correctly, there were three times there where he's talking about the president's kids. >> sure. as anyone who follows politics knows, that is an area that's really considered off-limits when you're talking about

children of the president. so whether to make a point -- i understand this is a debate about children but i think most of the observers looking at david keen said this is not about the children. it is about the arguments that -- >> bill: he would only say that if he were getting a lot of flack because of it. he must be getting some flack even from nra supporters who said drop that ad. enough is enough. >> it is important to bear in mind it is a web-only ad. it was more put throughout to stir this kind of debate about the gun issue rather than actually focusing in on the president's proposal. >> bill: let's get to the political viability of the president's measures. we'll continue that conversation with felicia sonmez. all of you across america at 1-866-55-press. that's our toll free number. give us your comments on twitter at bpshow. >> announcer: heard around the country and seen on current tv. this is the "bill press show."

>>i believe people are hungry for it. >>bill shares his views, now it's your turn. >>i know you're going to want to weigh in on these issues. >>connect with "full court press with bill press" at facebook.com/billpressshow and on twitter at bpshow. >>i believe people are

alright, in 15 minutes we're going to do the young turks. i think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they know that i'm not bs'ing them with some hidden agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

>> announcer: heard around the country. seen on current tv, this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. 25 minutes after the hour now here on the "full court press." this thursday, january 17th. in studio with us, reporter felicia sonmez from "the washington post." and felicia yesterday the ink wasn't even dry on the president's signature before so many commentators and reporters are saying well, you know, he might have had a big show today but nothing's going to happen. in congress.

really? >> it's true. i think yeah -- >> bill: that's what the criticism was. are you -- do you share that pessimism? >> if you look at what's happening on the state level states where these kinds of gun reform efforts have been successful are states where they've been pursued very quickly. look at new york, for instance in the wake of newtown. barely a month since that happened and governor cuomo was able to take fast action there. i think on the federal level, it is a lot more difficult and take a lot more time. as a result of that, the opposition to these efforts has a lot more time to gear up and get organized. so the nra on capitol hill i think will definitely put in a lot of -- >> bill: the opposition has been organized for a long time. and the nra certainly has been around for a long time. at the same time, we haven't had so many mass murders in such a short period of time and we haven't had a newtown connecticut, before this either. which does change the equation, doesn't it? >> it does, absolutely. that's why you're seeing the

very introduction of these measures as something that is new in itself. i remember when i began covering capitol hill, it was at the beginning of the last congress and a few days after my first day on the hill was the tucson shooting. and at that time the biggest show of bipartisanship or action that we saw after that was gesturing the president's state of the union address when lawmakers of each party sat shoulder to shoulder in sort of this display of unity. that was really as far as anything went back then. now, i think the fact that you're seeing members like dianne feinstein in the senate coming out a little bit more aggressively on these does signal a change but keep in mind it is the leaders who control the floor action and i think on the democratic side, the fact that harry reid in the senate is sounding pretty tepid about these right now and letting his lieutenants chuck schumer from new york and feinstein take the lead on this does not bode well for this legislation in the senate. >> bill: the one measure that most people believe is the most important and may be the most

politically possible, i guess is the universal background check. the assault weapons ban is important. the high-capacity magazines important. but it's hard to argue that if you have a criminal background check required at a gun dealer, you would not do the same at a gun show. maybe that's the one thing that can get through. >> right now that does seem like it's the provision that has the most support on the hill. that as well as a lot of these mental health traditions that the president has put forth. you might see a little bit more agreement in those areas but i think what we saw yesterday from the republican side was definitely digging in when it came to the assault weapons and other parts of this proposal. >> bill: you know, it is also interesting suddenly that immigration reform seems to have gotten lost in this whole debate. come back and we'll talk about that next time. felicia, nice to see you. thanks for filling in. >> announcer: this is the "bill press show."

guys that do reverse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking?

>> announcer: chatting with you live at current.com/billpress this is the "bill press show." live on your radio and current tv. >> bill: all right. 33 minutes after the hour. here we go. the "full court press." this thursday, january 17. good to have you with us today. always invite you to join the conversation and we wanted to leave a little extra time here today because it is such an important day with such an important issue to talk about. leave a little extra time for your calls here at the end of the show at 1-866-55-press. and your comments on twitter and on facebook. at bpshow on twitter.

facebook.com/billpressshow. on the president's announcement yesterday and the proposals he set forth a lot of people are saying oh, my god the president went too far. we've heard some -- from of some our callers this morning. why all of these executive actions -- i mean this is -- his actions have been called confiscatory some people called them dictatorial. the president said this is the first step -- this is the first step toward taking away our guns. my criticism is the opposite. it is not a criticism for president obama. it is a criticism of the political nature of this country today. not that the president went too far but the president did not go far enough. look what he did propose okay? his executive actions are nothing other than telling agencies to do the jobs they ought to be doing. telling the cdc they really ought to be spending money and time, researching the impacts of and effects of gun violence.

making sure that health professionals know that it's okay for them under hipaa as it's called, the health policy act, to tell law enforcement if they hear from mentally ill patients violent threats or any signs of violence or worries they might carry out violent acts, they can report that to law enforcement agencies. encouraging schools and giving money to schools to hire more public resource -- school resource officers to deal with violence in schools. so all of those sorts of executive actions none of them, none of them are controversial. and then what he asked congress to do was just common sense measures. very important. but hard to argue against, for example, banning the assault weapons. we did it before. we aught to do it again. banning high-capacity magazines of over ten rounds.

of course we should. who needs more than ten rounds? right? unless again you're in a theatre of war not in a community movie theatre. banning armor-piercing, cop-killing bullets. why should any civilian have that kind of ammunition? no need unless they intend to kill cops which is what they do with it. finally, the universal background check. if you require criminal background check, if you want to keep criminals and mentally ill people deranged people, from getting ahold of weapons you can't just have criminal background checks at gun dealers. you've got to have them at gun shows. you have to have them at any point of sale, even it's online or person to person. so those things are just common sense measures. what i think is sad is that we don't go -- we don't go any farther. we don't go where we ought to go. for example i've talked to

conservative friends of mine who agree with this. we should require everybody who buys a gun to register that gun and get a license to use that gun. after all, we do that for cars. no matter who it is. no matter what kind of car you got. you can't drive it. without registering the car. you can't drive it without having insurance for the car. you can't drive it without having a license for the car. all three of those why not for guns? they could do a lot more damage than somebody can with a car. register license insurance. or take a look at what australia did. great piece this morning by john howard. the former conservative prime minister of australia who pointed out that 1996 when they had a mass shooting where 35 people were killed, they stepped up to the plate. australia banned all assault

weapons. banned them. just banned them. the entire country. then they did a federal buyback provision. and they picked up 700,000 weapons. john howard points out that would be the equivalent of buying back 40 million assault weapons in this country. but they did it and since 1996, there was some mass shootings in the decade or so before 1996. there has not been one since in australia. so these things work. australia took this national action. but here we have pretty tepid common sense actions on the part of the president and the vice president. and everybody is saying. much too far, much too far. president's going too far. we just cannot tolerate that. so to me, the debate is not have we gone too far. the debate really ought to be what's wrong -- why can't we go

even farther and why are we doing so little about such a serious problem? 1-866-55-press. that is the question. what's going on with twitter pete summer. >> we're tweeting at bpshow. we've got a lot of comments after we had felicia son mess in because we talked about the children who were with obama and there were critics who say he should not have done that. paul set one of those. she tweeted and said i don't think children should have been there at all. >> bill: it is all about saving kids. what's wrong with having kids on the stage. >> that's the point a lot of other people said. david said we're having the debate because of the murder of children. they're central to what's happening. >> bill: people who don't want the children on stage, don't want restrictions on guns. >> jamie berks echoes that. it involved innocent babies. the president did the right thing by listening to them. alzeera says it is just wrong that so many kids had to die for some action on gun control to take place. and dr. rock says president

obama always puts a human face on the issues he's addressing. so lots of support for how the president handled it yesterday. on this current topic that we're talking about about whether or not he went far enough, mama for obama -- i think you know what side of the aisle she's on says what we want are common sense gun laws, the president did exactly what the people want. we should lobby congress to get the rest done. we're tweeting at bpshow. >> bill: the president called on the american public because all these nay-sayers who say and all of the republicans say no, no no, we can't do this. this is too much. the president said it will only happen if the american people really give congress a swift kick in the butt and tell congress get off your asses you've got to get this done. 1-866-55-press the toll free number. sandy is in colonia new jersey. hi sandy. >> caller: hi, bill. i'm amazed at the republican and

the right wing spin machine and how they have a very convenient memory. i seem to remember president bush standing on a stage with the snowflake -- >> bill: yes. >> caller: regarding the embryonic stem cell. they really haven't figured out people have memories. there is videotape. and it just points out that hypocrisy and it makes me crazy. >> bill: they think we have short memories and that we're stupid right sandy? >> caller: yes. >> bill: i thought it was interesting that president obama yesterday with all of this republican opposition to assault weapons, he quoted president ronald reagan, right? calling for a ban on assault weapons. when he was in the white house. so they -- they may not forget but they think we're going to forget. i think you're right. we don't right?

>> caller: we don't. i think more people need to respond back and point out the hypocrisy. i think you all do it but sometimes the mainstream people are so willing to accept whatever they say. >> bill: i know. they buy into this thing. again, you know, dana millbanks good friend of mine in "the washington post," he's critical of the president for exploiting the people. b.s.! of course, this is all about kids. the president said it. this is how we will be judged. these kids wrote to the president's perfectly appropriate to have them on stage. sandy, thank you so much. good to hear from you out in madison, wisconsin. rick, what's up? how are you? >> caller: i'm all for what president obama has done with signing the executive orders. he got things out on the table that congress hasn't been able to do in how many years. he got more headway. he got a start. if congress thinks -- if anybody thinks he didn't go far enough, congress should pick up the ball and keep running with it. and do something even better.

he got the ball rolling. >> bill: he did. >> caller: he took the risk and got it out there. >> bill: it was very effective to sit down right away and to sign those executive orders. i'm not sure they were executive orders but executive actions whatever you want to call them, directing the federal agencies to do what they can do toward reducing gun violence. the heart of it though, the most important steps that have to be taken, the ban on assault weapons, the ban on the high-capacity magazines the ban on cop killer bullets and the universal background checks do require action by congress and so we must keep the pressure on congress now to move. that includes on democrats in congress. not all of them are yet on board 1-866-55-press the toll free number. talk to us on twitter at bpshow. >> announcer: on your radio and on current tv, this is the "bill press show."

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>> announcer: this is the "bill press show." >> bill: all right. 13 minutes before the top of the hour. taking your calls on the president's proposals announced yesterday to deal with gun violence in this country. some have criticized the president for going too far. my problem is he didn't go far enough. americans don't seem to let him -- want him to go any farther than he did. i'm not sure of that. i think there may be the will to

do a hell of a lot more. 1-866-55-press is the toll free number. back to your calls and our conversation and your comments on twitter in just a second. but first, i want you to know with the holidays behind us now we're back to work on trying to track down my family roots and with the help of the good friends at tryancestry.com. it is an incredible site giving you access to the world's largest family history resource over 11 billion historical documents online so you just tell them what category you want to look at, birth records or marriage records or death records or immigration records. and put in your family name and off you go! you'll be amazed at what you can discover and tryancestry.com has made it easy for you. they'll give you 14 free days to start discovering more about your family's history before you have to sign up. so i encourage you to share my

incredible experience. visit tryancestry.com to see what you can discover with those two free weeks. start your journey today. lots to talk about. lots to tell your family about. start today by visiting tryancestry.com. that's very simple. tryancestry.com. peter, in the social world -- we have to mention the other huge news story of the day of course. which is that dennis kucinich is the newest contributor on fox news. officially signed a contract. he starts tonight. debuts tonight with bill o'reilly. >> you know -- >> bill: i guess fox news is going to go to the left of msnbc, is that what this means? >> good luck with that. i personally can't imagine how those two are going to fit together on tv. their personalities. >> bill: i'm afraid what they're going to do is make fun of dennis. >> i think so, too. >> bill: exploit him and

pretend to use him and not pay any attention to him and make him look bad. make him look silly is what they'll try to do. >> we're tweeting at bpshow. we're taking comments on this issue. gun control. and whether or not the president went far enough. monica says the president did the right thing. this is about the safety and the lives of our children. there is nothing more important. and then story for "60 minutes" is this handle says it is clear the right does not understand the concept of hypocrisy. >> bill: right. i still come back -- you can't convince me, if we have to have registration license and insurance for our car why not for our gun. yes, you can kill somebody with your car. you can kill a hell of a lot more people with your handgun or assault rifles. >> a couple of people brought up the point it varies state to state. but there are things that are outlawed like nunchucks are

outlawed in certain states. throwingstars and in maryland, fireworks. like big explosive fireworks you can't use or sell in maryland. yet, we still have assault rifles. >> bill: crazy. wanda is out in ottawa, illinois. hey, wanda. >> caller: good morning, bill. >> bill: good morning. >> caller: two comments. i don't understand why we can't have some common sense regulation. the reason i called is i'm a licensed social worker. i work in behavioral health. and some people are very concerned about this whole mental health issue. i'm a mandated reporter. if you propose a credible threat, we have to report that. it is the fact that they're going to start tracking it and then putting people behind it when you make comments about okay yes, you want to shoot someone or you want to kill someone or hurt someone. those things just now are going

to be hooked into and possibly tracked. the fact our systems don't talk to each other, you can have people on a no-fly list but they can still go buy a gun. i'm not a hypocrite because i'm a gun owner. i live out in the middle of nowhere. there's no reason to have these huge, dangerous weapons. it is not about protecting yourself. >> bill: you make a very, very important point and that was one of the things the president did with one of his executive orders yesterday. executive actions, right. was to make sure that health professionals understand if they're dealing particularly with people who are mentally unstable and they hear them talk about -- i would love to go out and shoot so and so or shoot some people up or any violent threat, they're well within their rights to report that to law enforcement authorities who can then look into these people and we need that sharing of that information. >> right. it is not just that report will

automatically disqualify you. it has to be investigated. someone needs to be found unstable. it is not you're having a bad day and you make a comment and you're never going to get a gun again. that's not it. >> bill: i'm so glad you made that point. one of our callers yesterday from florida i forget his name raised the issue about whether health professionals can do this. it obviously is an issue brought to the attention of the vice president's task force and it was on the president's list yesterday. that is very, very important. and maybe the most important of all of the measures that were talked about in terms of mental health plus providing some more assistance to people suffering from mental health and more mental health professionals in our schools. this is just the beginning of the conversation, folks. for sure. i'll have a parting shot on the same subject when we come back here on the "full court press." >> announcer: this is the "full court press." the "bill press show." live on your radio and on current tv.

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>> announcer: the parting shot with bill press. this is the "bill press show." >> bill: okay. on this thursday, january 17, my parting shot for today... as a member of the press corps i have attended a lot of events at the white house but i have to tell you, there was none more moving or more powerful than yesterday's announcement by president obama and vice president biden of what they intend to do about gun violence. in the audience were parents of first graders killed at sandy hook elementary school. one of the survivors of the virginia tech massacre and on stage, as we've talked about four kids who had written letters to the president after sandy hook, begging him to do

something about guns. for his part the president spoke slowly, solemnly and very convincingly about the need to act, especially after newtown connecticut. "this is our first task as a society." he said. keeping our children safe. this is how we will be judged. then he sat down, signed 23 executive orders and then urged congress to do its part. immediately, of course, there were those who accused the president of going too far. but after all the mass killings we've seen in recent years the real question for me is not why are we doing so much but why do we even have to debate about doing so little? that's my parting shot for today, folks. go out and have a good one.